I had a list of questions in my head, and of course I couldn’t ask them but that was OK because the jury asked most of them for me.

Juries are meant to represent the public, and this inquest jury did just that. Even the presiding coroner Larry Marzinzik took a moment at the end of the inquest to personally thank the jury for their attentiveness over the three-day period and for providing a detailed list of recommendations.

As a member of the community, I want to extend a thank you to the jurors for their hard work and thoroughness during the inquest. They made a lot of recommendations that, if acted upon, could really benefit our community.

So the next time you get jury duty, try and see it as an opportunity to improve your community rather than a week you need to take off work and spend in a courtroom.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

OPINION At least part of me wasn’t sure I should write this, given what happened last time. It was August 15, 2003 and like many Thursdays before it, I was scratching around for a column idea. The summer newsroom